Walk recognizes Alzheimer's Awareness Month

Sept. 20--The Senior Care Center at Southeast Georgia Health System was decked out in purple balloons, ribbons and more Friday for the memory care unit's walkathon in recognition of World Alzheimer's Day.

Nurses and hospital staff, friends, family, church groups and volunteers gathered with several members of the memory care unit to help them on a walk around Lakeside Drive behind the center to honor those suffering from Alzheimer's and continue to raise awareness of the degenerative neurological disease.

"We feel that our memory care unit patients are so very important to us, and we're joining the world in celebrating and honoring them," said Peggy Skiba, activities coordinator at the Senior Care Center.

Those walking and the patients themselves had gone all-out in observing the day, sporting purple shirts, awareness ribbons, and even purple hair. One patient had dyed purple locks while a staff member donned a shiny purple wig.

"This is the time of year we realize just how many shades of purple there actually are," said guest speaker Janice Vickers, executive director of Alzheimer's of Glynn/Brunswick.

That inundation of purple, multiplied during Alzheimer's Awareness Month in November, is something those affected by the disease, like Christine Harness and her family, truly appreciate. "This event means the world to us, and it's a chance to share this with all the generations of our family," Harness said, pointing to her 2-year-old daughter, Ava, sitting in her wheelchair-bound grandfather's lap.

Ava and her 3-month-old sister Charlotte's grandpa, Christine Harness' father, Jim Harness, is a resident in the memory care unit suffering from Alzheimer's. Christine Harness says that being able to spend time at the center with her father, a former professional football player who spent a season with the Baltimore Colts before being drafted in the Korean War, has been amazing.

"They do such a wonderful job here. They are just so caring. My dad especially likes the balloon volleyball," she said.

"They make a really big deal out of this day and we're so appreciative of that."

Pam Harness, her mother, couldn't make it for the event, but Christine Harness says her mother spends plenty of time at the center.

Being able to interact in a comfortable setting and knowing the hands-on expert care her father gets has made it a smoother process for the family.

"It's been hard because it's been a slow decline, but this is so good. I love to see his face light up when he sees Ava," Christine Harness said.

Having visits from his family, especially on days like Friday, have a huge impact on him. When Ava hopped off his lap to walk alongside her mother to the outdoor reception, the silent grandfather reached out his hand for her to hold if she wanted.

Watching loved ones suffer, slowly slipping away from memory loss and confusion, is one of the hardest things for a family member to watch, but the staff and volunteers at the center do all they can to make the process as gentle as possible. That's why they're also recognized during World Alzheimer's Day.

Former Brunswick Mayor Bryan Thompson spoke during the outdoor reception at the event, recognizing the staff and volunteers who dedicate themselves to the cause.

He shared a personal story of his mother's battle with Alzheimer's.

"There is loss in that but with that are also areas of gain, of hope, closeness, love," he said. "My brothers and I have gotten closer to her as she, in a sense, drifts further away. We as brothers have grown closer."

His mother, now in a place much like the memory care unit at the Senior Care Center, is able to maintain her sense of dignity and purpose with the help of staff, which was his wish for those he spoke to Friday.

"She's fine with it because she thinks she works there," Thompson said. "Bless their hearts, it's been six years and they still haven't told her any different.

"I hope you continue to have respect, a sense of purpose, whatever gets you out of bed in the morning, thanks to the support and love of so many."

-- Reporter Sarah Lundgren writes about education and other local topics. Contact her at slundgren@thebrunswicknews.com, on Facebook or at 265-8320, ext. 322.

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